RALEIGH-Ashe County’s premier endurance challenge will be featured in a UNC-TV segment next week.

That’s according to emails provided to the Jefferson Post from race volunteers.

“It’s going to be something short, probably on the order of five or six minutes, but it’ll be fun to get the word out about the Brutal,” Ray Podd said this week.

David Hardy, a UNC-TV producer and director, told race officials the Brutal would be featured on UNC-TV Aug. 4, 2016 at 9 p.m. and again on Aug. 5, at 8:30 p.m. as part of the network’s “North Carolina Weekend” segment. Hosted by Deborah Holt Noel, NC Weekend offers viewers a look at some of the state’s most interesting things to see and do for weekend warriors.

“Wherever you live in North Carolina, chances are that a nearby music festival, craft show, barbecue or street fair is waiting for you on the weekend,” according to show producers. “Whether it’s 5 or 50 miles away, there’s a myriad of possibilities to make you look forward to your next trip – and that’s what North Carolina Weekend is all about.”

The segment had originally been set to air July 28, but the coverage of the ongoing Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, PA, will push that date’s airing of NC Weekend out of prime time to 11 p.m.

A fundraiser for the Ashe Civic Center, the ‘Brutal 100’ is among the High Country’s most grueling sporting events. This year’s event takes place Aug. 13. The ride tours portions of Ashe and Alleghany counties and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The ride is fully supported by SAG wagons, rest stops, mussette stops, Ham radio communication and fire and rescue squad, and begins and ends in front of the civic center, in the shadow of Mount Jefferson. Though dubbed the “Brutal 100,” the race actually offers riders three different routes, 57 miles, 75 miles and 100 miles – in addition to the wicked 3.1 mile “Assault on Mount Jefferson,” that is open to 80 brave souls.

Last year, Chapel Hill’s Christopher Zieman was the king of the road, earning a first place finish in the 100 mile race after four hours and 39 minutes, some four minutes ahead of second place finisher Keith Gerarden, also from Chapel Hill. The 2015 Brutal drew 282 bikers for all three race categories.